Medorrhinum - General symptoms - Clarke

GENERAL

General

Glinicum. Nosode of Gonorrhoea. Attenuations of the Virus.

Medorrh. is one of the most important of the nosodes. The constitutional nature of the gonorrhoea poison has within recent years been recognised in the old school as well as the new. Noegerath of New York and Angus Macdonald in this country have pointed out a causal connection between post-partum pelvic cellulitis and latent gonorrhoea in the husband. Macdonald published several fatal cases. The effects of the poison, constitutional or acute, may be taken as data for homoeopathic prescriptions.

always brighter in evening, agg. in early morning hours. With Medorrh. there is intense nervous sensibility, especially to touch of garment or a lock of hair by any one not en rapport. Sensibility is exalted almost to clairvoyance. As if in a dream. Starting at slightest sound. Tremor.

spasms. There is a state of collapse and a desire to be fanned. Among the Peculiar Sensations are As of sticks in eyes, lids, and inner, canthi.

as if cold wind blowing in eyes.

as if upper lid had a cartilage in it. As if something crawling in ear and nose. Lump in stomach. Tumour right side of abdomen. As if left lung collapsed or paralysed. As if an abscess between left pectoralis major and minor muscles. As if blood was boiling hot in veins. As if all bones were out of joint.

The pains seem to tighten the whole body, especially the thighs. There is scarcely a spot on the body that is not full of pain. Obstinate rheumatism. Sequelae of acute rheumatism. D. C. McLaren relates in Hahn. Advoc. (quoted Amer. Hom., xxii. 408) a case which illustrates the power and sphere of this nosode. A young French Canadian of delicate constitution, after working in a factory all winter, began coughing in spring and running down in health. He returned home and came under McLaren's care in May. The cough persisted and prostration increased, in spite of carefully selected remedies, and the patient took to his bed. It was then observed by McLaren that the cough and general condition was amel. from lying on the face. This, coupled with a knowledge of there being a syphilitic taint in the boy's parentage, suggested Medorrh., which was given. The next day a profuse gonorrhoeal discharge appeared, and the cough and all threatening symptoms promptly disappeared. Exposure to contagion had occurred several weeks before, but from lack of vitality the disease could not find its usual expression and was endangering the patient's life. Ernest Nyssens ("La Sycose de Hahnemann," Jour. Belge d'Hom, vi. 244) quotes some important observations by old-school authorities on constitutional gonorrhoea. Wertheim in a case of gonorrhoeal cystitis watched the entrance of the gonococcus into the blood stream. With the gonococcus taken from the blood of this patient he made cultures to the fifth generation. A youth who had never had venereal disease volunteered for inoculation with this. The subacute urethritis which resulted was so grave, and, in spite of all, became complicated so cruelly with cystitis, epididymitis, prostatitis, synovitis, and pleuro-pneumonia, that Wertheim asked whether the gonococcus did not redouble its virulence by passing into the blood. Louis Jullien and Louis Sibut (from whose paper Nyssens quotes the above) witnessed the following case in Saint Lazare hospital Louisa M., 17, entered the hospital June 8th with urethro-vaginitis, and was treated with tampons (tiges) of Ichthyol dissolved in Glycerinum ^glycerine (1 to 5). The urethritis ran a normal course till July 6th, when this condition was reported The patient has had sufferings in the abdomen for a week, but has made no complaint. However, they became so acute the previous night that an injection of Morphia was given. Rectal temperature 100.2. Tongue saburral. Right side abdominal pain. In spite of rigid contraction of the recti muscles there seemed to be a swelling deep down, but the observers were not certain it was not a swelling of the muscles themselves. Intestinal functions normal.

The rheumatic symptoms are of extreme intensity, and Medorrh. will cure many cases where the symptoms correspond. I have cured many cases of dysmenia with it, following Burnett. Burnett cured with Medorrh. 1m ($51$) A patient who had fits at every menstrual period, the fits coming on in the early morning. (2) A man who had clonic spasms, the legs suddenly shot up from the bed. (3) A case of right wrist rheumatism. (4) Polypi having their origin in a chronic suppurating discharge. (He regards Medorrh. as "the mother of pus and catarrhs"). (5) Masturbation in children. (6) Albuminuria when the urine contains some mucus as well. (7) Sycotic asthma, agg. 2 to 4 a.m. (8) Psoriasis palmaris. Gilbert (Trans. Amer. Inst., 1895, quoted H. R., xi. 71) traces rickets to hereditary gonorrhoea.

there are often in these cases glandular enlargements, and the patient is amel. at seaside. In such cases he gives Medorrh. (When there is syphilitic paresis and the patient is amel. in the mountains, he gives Syphilinum (Luesinum) ^Syph.). In acute bowel troubles in rickety children he finds Medorrh. of great value.

Thomas Wildes (H. P., xii. 70) considers that favus and scald-head and ophthalmia tarsi simplex (margins scaly, scurfy, often angry red, falling of lashes) are due to suppressed gonorrhoea in one or both parents. The red, angry condition of skin may extend from face or scalp, down neck and back to perineum and genitals. ($51$) Girl, 11, had been treated by many physicians with salves and ointments to the general impairment of her health. Face mottled with a profusion of red scurfy sores, eyelids involved and nearly denuded of lashes.

hairy scalp one diffuse mass of thick yellow scabs, from beneath which oozed a highly offensive mixture of ichor and sebum. Passing down neck, back, perineum and involving genitals and pubes was a fiery red band as broad as the child's hand, oozing a pale yellow serum which caused the clothing to stick to the body. Wildes told the mother he could cure the case, but it would certainly get worse the first three months. This was not objected to. Medorrh. c.m. (Swan) was given, one dose on the tongue. The external appearance grew rapidly worse, but appetite, sleep, and general health steadily improved, and in nine months she was completely well. (2) Child, 6, since infancy horribly disfigured with tinea capitis. Scalp a mass of dense scabs exuding fetid ichor, the only semblance of hair being a few distorted stumps ending in withered roots. One dose cured in a few months, and at the time of Wildes' writing patient was a healthy and extremely talented young lady and the possessor of a luxuriant head of chestnut hair. Wildes thinks that suppression of favus when derived from gonorrhoea in the father leads to hydrocephalus, capillary bronchitis, severe teething diarrhoeas, cholera infantum, &c.

if derived from the grandfather, suppression leads to consumption and lingering diseases. Fiery red rash developing about the anus in babies a few days old.

constipation with hard, dry stools.

when the nurses say "baby's water scalds it terribly," the indications for Medorrh. are clear. Wildes regards the latent gonorrhoeal taint as the true explanation of many of the disease-manifestations included by Hahnemann under Psora. Burnett in a way confirms this, as he traces gout to a sycotic origin. Wildes regards Medorrh. too dangerous a remedy to give in acute cases whether of gonorrhoea, rheumatism, or scarlatina, on account of the intensity of the aggravation it is liable to cause.

Medorrh. is the remedy in single doses, but it is rarely if ever to be given in the acute stages of a disease. In general motion agg., rest amel. Lying on face or stomach amel. cough. Stretching out agg. Leaning head forward agg. Leaning far back amel. constipation can only pass stool so. (I cured with Medorrh. 200 a most aggravated case of constipation on this indication. The patient said he was obliged to lean far back on the seat or he could not get rid of the stool. He was passing urine containing long white mucous shreds. Many years before he had had gonorrhoea.) There is great sensitiveness to draught of air.

takes cold easily. At the same time there is great desire to be fanned. agg. In the sun.

by warmth of bed. entering a warm room (cough). Salt-water bathing amel. sore throat and cold in head. Damp weather amel. pain in limbs. Craving for ice. Chronic rheumatism of joints is agg. inland, amel. near sea. The early morning agg. (especially 3 to 4 a.m.) is a leading characteristic of Medorrh. and all sycotics.

Characteristics

Right knee painful, swollen. At same time synovitis of left wrist, dorsal aspect, the tendons attacked being the extensor proprius of thumb and index. Temperature normal. July 10.